Retail turnover growth

• Favourable shopping-day pattern in October
• Turnover growth supermarkets continues

In October 2008, retail turnover grew by 5.0 percent relative to the same month last year. The most recent figures released by Statistics Netherlands show that prices went up by 2.6 percent, volume by 2.4 percent.

October’s shopping-day pattern had a positive effect on turnover. October 2008 had an extra Thursday and Friday and a Monday and a Tuesday less than October 2007. After a rough correction for shopping days, turnover growth was approximately 2 percent; the volume shrank by 0.5 percent. The Netherlands achieved better results than the EU as a whole. In the eurozone, the shopping-day corrected volume declined by more than 2 percent.

Within retail trade, supermarkets performed well. October’s turnover was 12.5 percent up on one year previously. Over the first ten months of 2008, supermarkets realised an average turnover growth of 8 percent. Supermarkets achieved far better results than specialised food, drinks and tobacco shops.

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